Story
Gateway Theatre’s Sea of Stories invited residents of Richmond’s culturally-diverse community to tell their stories of change, immigration, family and culture. Submissions were selected and, working with a professional theatre director, each participant converted their story into a 10-minute play in just nine weeks. The result, Sea of Stories, is a six-play event highlighting culture, family, immigration, loss and love in the City of Richmond. The plays, which ran in May 2007, were sold out, prompting a second performance which also filled the 100-seat house. As a result, 200 people enjoyed the final presentation. Those unable to see the play attended the Richmond Museum’s exhibit sharing the visual stories of the written works.
With the help an $11,500 grant from Innovations, Sea of Stories was able to hire 15 professional artists and a creative team of four directors, a stage manager, props/set/costume person, sound consultant, and production manager. The project explored the history of Richmond and its residents through the most ancient of methods – storytelling. It also provided experience for a new generation of writers, and forged a new relationship with the Richmond Museum. A book of these stories has since been written and sits in the Richmond Public Library. Work is under way for a second Sea of Stories project for 2009.
